The present exemplary embodiments relate to media (e.g., document or paper) handling systems and systems for printing thereon. More particularly, the embodiments relate to a job supplement process for enabling print jobs to be built up to meet specialized job requirements.
Many users find it useful to include a copy of, for example, identification (ID) sized documents such as an individual's driver's license, ID card, health insurance card, business card, social security card, credit card, certificate, passport, et. al. (collectively referred to hereinafter as ID cards), in an individual's record so that information contained on these ID cards can be later referenced. Most ID cards contain important information on both front and back sides of the card. One problem with current devices is that while they are well-suited to capture information on the ID cards by making a copy of them, they cannot print the information from both the front and back sides of the card on the same face of a page. This results in a person's information contained on two separate pages (or the front and back side of a page if copying in duplex mode). The result is two separate pieces of information in two different locations. With current copiers, the only way to achieve all information on a single side of a sheet of paper is to make a copy of one side of the ID card, reload the output for re-imaging and make a copy of the second side. This method is cumbersome and confusing, as it requires the user to understand how the paper will feed through the machine and in what orientation the new image will be placed in relation to the first.
Electronic printing systems typically employ a scanner for scanning image bearing documents and convert the image to image signals or pixels for use in making prints. The job source usually consists of a quantity of documents having the same or similar parameters that enable the documents to be scanned en masse and without special treatment for individual documents. In some cases, however, the job may include diverse documents that require special treatment and therefore cannot be scanned with the other documents in a single scan. Similarly, the job program may necessitate that some documents be processed apart from the other documents that comprise the job. In other cases, the documents may differ in size and thus require different scaling ratios to provide prints of the same size. Some documents in a job may be fragile or unable to pass through an automatic document handler, and thus require manual handling. In these and the manifold other situations in which special processes are required, it would be highly desirable if a system or procedure to allow these special cases to be handled expeditiously and efficiently existed.
In view of some of the aforementioned job requirements, it may be desirable to “build” a job on a segment-by-segment basis. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,494 to Reed et al. (Issued: Jan. 14, 1992) various parts of a job are merged through use of a job supplement mode. Through this mode, the job supplement function is used to append content to a job as it is being scanned into the printing system. That is, when the job supplement mode is engaged, any number of additional documents or groups of documents may be scanned in with the job currently being scanned. Upon supplementing the job at the scanner, an END JOB icon is selected, and the supplemented job is stored in a memory section of the printing system. The '494 patent provides a job supplement process for a printing system effective when actuated to enable a print job to be built up from a plurality of smaller print jobs, the printing system including document scanning means with a platen on which documents to be scanned are placed, the scanning means having automatic and manually assisted document handling modes for inputting documents to the platen for scanning and converting the document images to image signals for use in making prints, the steps comprising: automatically implementing job supplement in response to operation of the scanning means in the manually assisted document handling mode; manually implementing the job supplement in response to operation of the scanning means in the automatic document handling mode; and preventing scanning of the next job by the scanner in response to implementation of the job supplement process.
It is also sometimes desirable to make multiple copies of small images as for example of an ID card or business card. However, since the image source, i.e., a business card, is smaller than normal, conventional copying by placing the card on the platen of a copier and running the desired number of copies cannot readily be done. This is because the copier is designed to make a copy of the entire platen area so that the resulting copies that are made will include not only the image from the card but also a large non-image area around the card. In that situation, to obtain copies of the small image, the copies that are made must then be cut to remove the unwanted and extraneous non-image areas or a make ready original prepared. This results in a substantial waste of copy paper, excessive copying costs since a full copy must be made for each image desired, and a very time consuming and inefficient job. And in cases where the multiple up image is a duplex image, copying becomes almost impossible due to the inability to accurately register and size the second side image with the first side image.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,429 to Rourke provides a process for printing reduced size multiple up images in an electronic reprographic printer, comprising the steps of: providing an electronic page comprised of image signals representative of the multiple up image; from the electronic page, determining the size of the multiple up image; determining the size of the paper stock on which the multiple up images are to be printed by the printer; determining the maximum number N of the multiple up images that can be optimally fitted onto the paper stock without interference; and in a single pass, using the electronic page to print the multiple up images N times on each of the paper stock.
The U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,081,494 and 5,191,429 patents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.